heads up may 2011

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 911th Award page 4 Welcome Home page 5 VOL. 7 ISSUE 2 May 2011 Big Shanty page 3 lamar county mission Barnesville, GA, April 28, 2011 - Meteorolo- gists had predicted an evening of extremely unsta- ble weather to include potential tornadic activity on Wednesday, 27 April 2011. No one would have sus- pected that what was to come would go down in history as one of the deadliest series of tornadoes to ever strike the southeastern United States. In Al- abama alone, the death toll rose to over 200 people before multiple tornadoes moved into northwestern Georgia at speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour. Sev- eral Georgia counties suffered fatalities and storm related injuries as a result of violent wind shears and tornadoes later estimated to be F-3 in catego- ry. A week after the damage was done, news affili- ates reported that over 350 people had been killed. At approximately 1251 hours a small girl living with her mother in a house in Barnesville, Georgia in La- mar County, got up to use the bathroom. When she got into the bathroom the little girl saw a spider which scared her and caused her to scream. The scream awoke the mother who rushed to the bathroom to investigate but about a minute later the mother later said she heard the roar of a train and both she and the small girl dove into the bathtub to take cover. The tornado subsequently hit the house complete- ly taking it away from its foundation but leaving 3 of the 4 walls of the bathroom and the surviving mother and daughter intact. “Saved by a spider!” commented Nancy Thrush, commissioner of Lamar Coun- ty to a Georgia State Defense Force soldier who had been called into ac- tion. Within 12 hours of the tornado, 1st and 5th Brigades of the Georgia State Defense Force were activated to report to the EOC in Lamar County and continued on page 3 from there to the forward reporting station, then to ground zero in the area of Gunter Lane in Barnes- ville where the tornado had struck the hardest. A cluster of homes belonging primarily to the Gunt- er family had been blown away by the storms later estimated to be at 167 miles per hour. Two of the residents, an aunt and uncle to active U.S. Army First Sergeant Ernest Gunter, whose parents house and vehicles were eradicated, stated that his par- ents had been killed in the tornado and that his grandfather, age 95, had been picked up and de- posited into a debris field approximately 30 yards away. The grandfather remains in an area hospi- tal at the time of this article. First Sergeant Gunter fought back tears as he expressed his apprecia- tion for the soldiers that converged on his family’s estate in an effort to roadblock looters, turn away spectators and converge on the debris field in an effort to retrieve articles of value from the homes. According to COL Ed Hightower, 1st Bde C.O., an estimated 182 Georgia State Defense Force soldiers rallied to the call with about 160 of them working in Lamar County, 18 in Spaulding County and 4 in Rome, Georgia. The mission commenced on Thurs- day afternoon 27 April with the first soldier to arrive being from the 3rd Battalion. It concluded on Monday morning, 02 May with the last soldier to leave also from the 3rd Battalion, stated 1LT Sam Kilburn, Executive Officer of the Battalion and its OIC during the pro- tracted mission. LT Kilburn also com- mented on the dedication of the 21 sol- diers who served at ground zero with no facilities, no running water, but with an abundance of energy and enthusiasm. WWII Never Forget page 7 Social GSDF page 9

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Heads Up! is the electronic publication of the Georgia State Defense Force, produced by the GaSDF's Public Affairs Office for State Defense Force members and interested parties. Keep up with the latest news, events, and achievements of the Georgia State Defense Force!

TRANSCRIPT

INSIDETHIS ISSUE: 911th

Awardpage 4

WelcomeHome page 5

VOL. 7 ISSUE 2 May 2011

BigShantypage 3

lamar county missionBarnesville, GA, April 28, 2011 - Meteorolo-gists had predicted an evening of extremely unsta-ble weather to include potential tornadic activity on Wednesday, 27 April 2011. No one would have sus-pected that what was to come would go down in history as one of the deadliest series of tornadoes to ever strike the southeastern United States. In Al-abama alone, the death toll rose to over 200 people before multiple tornadoes moved into northwestern Georgia at speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour. Sev-eral Georgia counties suffered fatalities and storm related injuries as a result of violent wind shears and tornadoes later estimated to be F-3 in catego-ry. A week after the damage was done, news affi li-ates reported that over 350 people had been killed. At approximately 1251 hours a small girl living with her mother in a house in Barnesville, Georgia in La-mar County, got up to use the bathroom. When she got into the bathroom the little girl saw a spider which scared her and caused her to scream. The scream awoke the mother who rushed to the bathroom to investigate but about a minute later the mother later said she heard the roar of a train and both she and the small girl dove into the bathtub to take cover. The tornado subsequently hit the house complete-ly taking it away from its foundation but leaving 3 of the 4 walls of the bathroom and the surviving mother and daughter intact.

“Saved by a spider!” commented Nancy Thrush, commissioner of Lamar Coun-ty to a Georgia State Defense Force soldier who had been called into ac-tion. Within 12 hours of the tornado, 1st and 5th Brigades of the Georgia State Defense Force were activated to report to the EOC in Lamar County and continued on page 3

from there to the forward reporting station, then to ground zero in the area of Gunter Lane in Barnes-ville where the tornado had struck the hardest.

A cluster of homes belonging primarily to the Gunt-er family had been blown away by the storms later estimated to be at 167 miles per hour. Two of the residents, an aunt and uncle to active U.S. Army First Sergeant Ernest Gunter, whose parents house and vehicles were eradicated, stated that his par-ents had been killed in the tornado and that his grandfather, age 95, had been picked up and de-posited into a debris fi eld approximately 30 yards away. The grandfather remains in an area hospi-tal at the time of this article. First Sergeant Gunter fought back tears as he expressed his apprecia-tion for the soldiers that converged on his family’s estate in an effort to roadblock looters, turn away spectators and converge on the debris fi eld in an effort to retrieve articles of value from the homes.

According to COL Ed Hightower, 1st Bde C.O., an estimated 182 Georgia State Defense Force soldiers rallied to the call with about 160 of them working in Lamar County, 18 in Spaulding County and 4 in Rome, Georgia. The mission commenced on Thurs-day afternoon 27 April with the fi rst soldier to arrive being from the 3rd Battalion. It concluded on Monday

morning, 02 May with the last soldier to leave also from the 3rd Battalion, stated 1LT Sam Kilburn, Executive Offi cer of the Battalion and its OIC during the pro-tracted mission. LT Kilburn also com-mented on the dedication of the 21 sol-diers who served at ground zero with no facilities, no running water, but with an abundance of energy and enthusiasm.

WWIINeverForgetpage 7

SocialGSDFpage 9

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Command Sergeant Major George “Randy” GarrettC

Commanding GeneralBG Jerry G. Bradford

When I was asked to put some thoughts together for this issue of “Heads-Up,” my inclination was to write of leadership philosophies and styles, training goals, “memorable” catch phrases, maybe even a little history, comfortable topics that old Command Sergeants Major can rattle off at a moment’s notice (and sometimes be remembered for that same amount of time). I certainly have had the expo-sure to a lot of those articles and speeches over my 43 years in uniform. But I won’t ... This time,

anyway. I have had the distinct honor of knowing, leading, and being led by some great Soldiers during those 43 years.And some of the greatest of those have been my comrades of these last 8 years in the Georgia State Defense Force.

Fellow Soldiers, our spirit, work ethic, and willingness to sacrifi ce for the accomplishment of whatever mis-sion undertaken takes second place to no organization in which I have been involved, military or civilian. Ac-tions during the storm recovery mission in April speak volumes: the Georgia State Defense Force was able to fi eld over 185 personnel representing all our Brigades in storm-ravaged areas of our state, providing aid and sup-port to our neighbors. You worked long hours in diffi cult and sometimes dangerous conditions. The training re-ceived at home station paid off. The old military truism, “We train for war, but pray for peace,” played out fully. I thank those 185 + Soldiers who were able to step up and serve in the disaster area; I thank the 500 members of our great organization that were not deployed for a variety of sound reasons. I know you also were trained and you were ready. I know very well the feeling, the anticipation, the desire to go forward. And the frustration. But circumstances do not always allow us to go forward. But when those circumstances change, when the situation arises, we all will be trained and ready – again.

During this past month I had the rare opportunity to see the State Defense Force in action on an actual Defense Support to Civil Authority mission that called in to play nearly every facet of our METL. I am speaking of the operation in support of the tornado torn area in and around Barnesville in Lamar County. I have never been more impressed with the dedication and devotion to duty demonstrated by those in-

volved than I was at that time. The fact that our ready troops in Floyd County and other places were not called in no way diminishes their readiness to serve.

In Barnesville, however, we were called. I cannot describe the devastation the tornado brought on the community of Barnes-ville. I have seen war on the ground, close up and personal and it did not look as bad as what I saw on a hilltop in a small neighborhood on the outskirts of town. Two people died there, but it could have been so much worse.

When the call came for response, scores of SDF troops responded. Each of our four standing Brigades were represented in the response force. But this was a total emergency force action from the start. The County CERT team had established the staging area for our troops. They had arranged with the Salvation Army for meals to be not only available at the staging area, but also delivered to the troops in the fi eld. Buses for transport to and from the work area were provided from County resources. The County Sheriff did what he could with limited forces, and then helped us help him when we were needed to man traffi c control points and patrol at night against potential looters.

At one point in what became a four day operation, we had over 350 non-affi liated civilian volunteers descend on the area want-ing to help. The SDF took charge of those volunteers, forming them into manageable squads, assigning a soldier or two for control and a medic for support, briefi ng them on the tasks they would be assigned, and getting them into the fi eld and to work. And then monitoring them to insure they operated safely, stayed hydrated, and were removed from the fi eld when they were done.

Many of our soldiers worked tirelessly around the clock, in some cases, until forced to take a rest. We removed tons of debris to clear roads and driveways to gain access to the worst hit areas. We delivered food and medical care to residents trapped in their homes. I saw soldiers who probably hardly ever do a lot of physical work, manning chainsaw teams for hours at a time. I saw blisters, blood, poison oak rashes, and tears amidst determination to persevere. And I saw a lot of soldiers happy to be do-ing what they spent all those hours training to do and making a difference.

To those soldiers, to those of you who manned the JOC and the SOC for hours on end, and those of you who stood up but were not called, I say thank you. I have never served with better and I am truly honored to be able to serve with you all.

CBDDspI h

vol

HEADS-UP | December 3H E A D S - U P | M a y 2 0 1 1

big shanty festival railroad incidentbig shanty festival railroad incident

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Kennesaw, GA, April 16, 2011 – For the second year in a row, soldiers from the Georgia State Defense Force rescued someone who was stuck on the railroad track as a train was approaching. The GSDF annually serves the community providing medical assistance and traffi c control for the Big Shanty Festival in Kennesaw.

At approximately 6:45 pm, personnel of 2MEDCO were assembled at the main Aid Station when they heard someone shouting from the direction of the railroad crossing. SSG David Litts, SGT Jason Mas-ters, CPL Greg Hanthorn and I responded. Upon ar-rival we found a male, 18 years of age, with his right foot stuck in the slot of the railroad track. The young man’s foot appeared to be swollen, probably due to him trying to get it out before we arrived.

PFC Hanthorn began cutting his shoe in an effort to release his foot. I was on the ground with him stabi-lizing the patient’s leg. SSG Litts and SGT Masters were supporting his upper torso to prevent him from falling. While we were attending to the young man, SSG Ken Miller had arrived on scene, called 911 and proceeded down the track waving his arms in an effort to get the train stopped. PFC Hanthorn had succeeded in removing the top of the young man’s shoe; however, his foot remained stuck in the track. Lubricant was used to help to loosen the foot, but it remained stuck. PFC Hanthorn had just started a second cut on the shoe when the crossing arms lowered and the warning bells started ringing.

Heros Honored at Kennesaw City Hall

Paralleling LT Kilburn’s comments were First Sergeant Gunter who was amazed at the level of professionalism and helpful-ness from so many fellow soldiers, some of who had driven several hundred miles to participate in “Operation Storm 2011”. 1SG Gunter concluded that the incident couldn’t have happened at a much worse time as he is scheduled to deploy this summer to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade and then onto Afghanistan to continue his 23 year service in the U.S. Army.

continued from page 1

Story and photo by SFC Ron CosgroveHQ Co/3rd Battalion/1st Brigade

lamar county mission

Mayor Mark Mathews and Chief of Police Bill Westenberger award-ed Certifi cates of Appreciation to

Photo by 1LT Mike Wilkie

Almost immediately we could feel the tracks shaking and could hear the horn from the train. At this point there was no way to determine how fast it was going, how far it was from us, or on which track it would con-tinue. The young man was pleading for us not to leave him. We assured him that we were not going anywhere.

Given these unknowns, we made a decision that we needed to move the young man immediately. Since I was already on the ground close to his ankle, I grabbed him around the calf of his leg in an attempt to prevent injury to his knee as well. I pulled his leg while SSG Litts and SGT Masters also pulled while supporting his upper torso to prevent him from falling. We extracted the patient approximately 15 seconds before the train passed our location. The train eventually stopped sev-eral hundred yards past where the incident occurred.

We moved the patient to a safe location where PFC Hanthorn and SSG Litts began treatment while CPL Byron Hoag acted as a scribe. By this time, other GSDF personnel arrived to provide security. The patient’s right ankle was swollen and may have been dislocated or fractured. No other injuries were visible. We trans-ferred care to EMS and the patient was transported to the hospital. As 1st Sergeant and NCOIC of this Mission, I am very proud of everyone involved in this incident, they did an outstanding job! SSG Robert H. Pilgrim 2nd Medical Company Support BDE

SSG David Litts, SSG Robert Pilgrim, SGT Jason Mathers and CPL Hanthorn for their heroic eff orts. Also in the picture are MAJ Jerry Willard and 1LT Mike O’Rear.

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911th support battalion receives air show awards Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Atlanta, GA, March 6, 2011 - Lt. Col. Tim Martz, Commander of the Air Force’s 94th Security Forces Squadron (94th SFS), awarded soldiers of the 911th Support Battalion and 2nd Battalion/1st Brigade, Certifi cates of Appreciation for their support of the 2010 Wings Over Atlanta Air Show held at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

The ceremony was held at Hangar 1 at Clay National Guard Center, with troops from the GaARNG 78th Avia-tion Troop Command also in attendance.The three-day mission consisted of security screening, crowd control and other security functions during the show. This effort was part of the larger GSDF support that also included Medical services. The 911th, augmented by 2nd Battalion of the 1st Brigade, provided a total of 88 soldier-days of service with over 60 soldiers involved.

Cpt. Jeff Hatchew, Security OIC and Commander, 911th Force Protection Company noted, “Through intens-planning and remaining fl exible, wewere able to execute the mission effectively and created marked improve-ments from the 2008 show. Overall success was largely driven by security mission NCOIC Staff Sgt. John Derucki who worked tirelessly to continually coordinate GSDF soldiers for each day of the mission.” The 94th SFS went above and beyond to make sure that every GSDF soldier was taken care of properly and provided the families of the mission partici-pants with an opportunity to attend a special VIP showing on the “warm-up” day of the show.

On behalf of the 911th, Maj. Allen Vance, Commander, accepted a signed photo of the US Navy Blue Angels team presented by Lt. Col. Martz, since the Blue Angels F/A-18s were among the assets that the GSDF helped protect (see photo). Lt. Col. Martz commented, “Service Before Self is a core Air Force value – and as partners in executing the air show mission, you volunteer soldiers of the GSDF certainly lived that value. I thank you all for your service!” JOB WELL DONE 911th! Story and photos by Sgt. Ron JonesUPAR, 911th Support Battalion, Support BrigadeGeorgia State Defense Force LTC Tim Marz and

MAJ Allen Vance

Story by Sgt. Ron Jones and photo by Sgt. Jim Zegers

Colonel Dennis Watts, Commander, Brigade Support Command, conducts the ceremonial passing of the unit colors to the newly appointed Com-mander, Major Allen Vance, of the reorganized 911th Support Battalion with CSM Randall Cline also present in the ceremony. The Change of Com-mand was held at Building 8, Georgia State Defense Force Headquarters.

911th CHANGE OF COMMAND

CH (MAJ) Roger Lanter shown here with CMA and Grammy nominee John Berry back stage at the Southern Vets Fest 2011 held in Adairsville, Georgia on Saturday May 30th. The event is held to raise funds for homeless veterans. This year they also made available funds for local families that are in need due to the recent tornados that had hit our communities. Chaplain Lanter said that he shared with Senator Laudermilk and others how our GSDF 5th Brigade and other troops across the state had been working tirelessly assisting Georgia families following the storms. Chaplain Lanter was asked to march into the event leading local veterans. He shared a few thoughts in a short speech followed by the open-ing invocation. Chaplain Lanter along with Senator Berry Loudermilk, Country Music Star John Berry and many other state and local leaders spent the day with local veterans from all branches of military service. What Chaplain Lanter said about this event…

“When I was asked several months ago to help with this event I felt it was something I could not turn down. I was proud to spend time with these veterans and fellowship with local area troops and families. I was privileged to represent our Command Gen-eral and soldiers of the State Defense Force and Georgia’s entire military chaplaincy. This was a daylong event with gates opening at 10:00 and Closed around 10:00PM. It is important for all our citizens that we not allow our veterans to just fade away and be forgotten. What these men and women have done in service to the nation has provided the freedoms that we all enjoy each day. As we see the nation changing from what it has been and we are all struggling in just about every area in our lives. We look back remembering how our lives had been lived just a few short years ago. John Berry’s song “I want my America Back” was one of the most stirring moments of the evening. He said that he had sat down and wrote this in just a few minutes. That song truly says it all and I would recommend that all our troops take time to hear this powerful song. It can be played on the John Berry web page http://johnberry.musiccitynetworks.com. I look forward to working this event again next year. I have several other public events scheduled and hope to see America have its spirit rise once again even in these most diffi cult times. I am very proud of our GSDF Soldiers and the dedication each of you are showing to our citizens in this very challenging time. I thank you and may God Bless America!”

Chaplain’s Corner

Command CH (MAJ) Roger D. Lanter and John Berry

HEADS-UP | December 2010 5H E A D S - U PH E A D S - U P | | M a y 2 0 1 1M a y 2 0 1 1

Third Battalion Participates in Welcome Home for Wounded Marine

Story and photo by PV2 Lisa KennedyHQ Co/3rd Battalion/1st Brigade

k

-

GSDF Command Chaplain on program at Vets Fest for 2011

Winder, GA – After departing McCollum airport in Kennesaw and travelling fl ag-lined streets, the motorcade transporting Marine Corporal Todd Love to his Acworth home-coming celebration was greeted by the salutes of the Georgia State Defense Force.

The Georgia State Defense Force provided assistance to the Acworth Police Department for the welcome home celebration of the 20 year old Marine on 09APR11. Area Control Points were identifi ed and manned by soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, GSDF, throughout the duration of the ceremony. “It was an honor to participate in the welcome home of Corporal Love”, said Major Mike Hayden, Commander of the 3rd Battalion.

Love, a Marine with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, B Company, stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, was severely wounded last October when an IED exploded while he was in Afghanistan. He lost both of his legs and part of his left arm, but not his spirit. “I was up front with the minesweepers search-ing for explosives and… I found them. I guess that’s the easiest way to put it.” He greeted every guest who lined up to meet him with a handshake or salute.

Also providing crowd/event control and traffi c assistance, the 3rd was among hundreds of supporters includ-ing residents, friends, members of the Wounded Warrior Project, Patriot Freedom Riders, Sons of the Ameri-can Revolution, Marine Corps League, and Young Marines on hand to celebrate the return home of Corporal Love.

A message from the G3, COL Lee MarA message from the G3, COL Lee Martintin

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On 3 April, the fi rst Command and Staff Course (CSC) of the Georgia State Defense Force, facilitated by the GSDF Schools Battalion, grad-uated sixteen offi cers. The year-long course is required for offi cers aspiring to be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and above. The cur-riculum, which focuses on leadership at the Bat-talion and Brigade level, prepares company and fi eld grade offi cers for higher-level leadership roles as commanders and senior staff offi cers. The course culminated in a Staff Training Exercise in the last residential which provided the students opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills learned during the course. Each student performed exceptionally as members of a team as well as on an individual basis. Major W. Brad Bryant received the Most Distinguished Graduate award as both MAJ Dave Hawkins and CPT Michael Ray were selected as the Most Improved Graduates.

Command Class CadreDIV CHIEF, Schools ………......... COL Lee MartinClass Facilitator .......................... MAJ Lori HallAdmin Offi cer .............................. LTC Lan SkallaStaff Group Leader ..................... COL Dirk DaubeStaff Group Leader ..................... COL Don HannaStaff Group Leader ..................... COL Lee MartinStaff Group Leader ..................... COL Drew PeakeStudent Group Leader ................ LTC Lan SkallaStudent Group Leader ................ MAJ Sam PengStudent Group Leader……………MAJ Allen VanceStudent Group Leader……………MAJ Eddie Williams

ClassLTC SOL A. (Lan) SkallaMAJ W. Brad BryantMAJ Timothy A. BumannMAJ Robert Peter Catlin IIIMAJ Lorenzo CombsMAJ Dave HawkinsMAJ James M. HaydenMAJ Chet HeidlMAJ Donald E. HendersonMAJ Samuel S. PengMAJ Allen Vance

MAJ Eddie E. WilliamsMAJ Lynwood E. YatesCPT Vereen AlexanderCPT William E. PamplinCPT Michael C. Ray

Soldier Funeral in Woodstock

Photo by Sgt Goodelman

Nearly 1,000 people, mostly strangers, stood guard outside the funeral services of Spc. Gary L. Nelson III of Woodstockincluding COL Hightower,

1LT O’Dwyer, SSG Scruggs, and 1LT Wilkie. Nelson was killed in Iraq by injuries sustained in a non-com-bat incident, the Department of Defense announced. The 20-year-old was serving on his fi rst deploy-ment, assigned to the 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Di-vision. The human buffer zone was formed to keep potential protesters from disturbing the ceremony.

MAJ Brad Bryant held a lunch and learn presentation on the GSDF’s Mission Capabilities to Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren and his staff.

Photo by 1LT Mike Wilkie

CLAY NATIONAL GUARD CENTER, Marietta, GA, April 17, 2011 – In the sweltering heat of the Georgia summer or the extreme heat of the Afghani-stan battlefi eld, properly trained soldiers can help prevent injury or death by be-ing knowledgeable about fi rst aid for sun or heat injuries. Knowing the warn-ing signs of sun or heat injuries and knowing the differences in the symptoms of the injuries is the crucial fi rst step in rendering the proper fi rst aid to a victim, whether that victim is a fellow soldier or a civilian encountered on a mission.

The fi rst aid procedure for heat related injuries like heat exhaustion or heatstroke was one of the morning briefi ngs given to soldiers when the Georgia National Guard’s 124th MPAD invited members of the GSDF PAO to drill with them. Cpt. Creed, Sgt. Smith, Sgt. Zegers, Sgt. LeMay, Sgt. Jones and Pvt. Hayes attended the Sunday drill.

After the 0730 formation, training briefs where given by the soldiers and NCOs of the 124th MPAD. In addition to perform-ing fi rst aid for heat injuries, briefi ng top-ics included the 9 line MEDEVAC request,

administering fi rst aid for burns, use of the new Emergency Trauma Bandage, and battlefi eld carry techniques used to transport a casualty. Public affairs mission specifi c training briefs were also given covering an effective print product, enhancing digital photographs, military his-tory, and how news is delivered and consumed in the modern media.

Peachtree City, GA, April 30, 2011 - The serenity of Peachtree City was broken this past weekend with the sounds of gunfi re, planes, and tanks rum-bling around as if thrown back in time to World War II. On 30 April and 01 May, exhibitors, reenactors, and veterans gathered at Peachtree City’s Fal-con Field Regional Airport for the annual World War II Heritage Days event presented by the Dixie Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. The goal of the Commemorative Air Force is to honor the service of American sol-diers through the preservation of vintage warbird aircraft from World War II.

Members of the Georgia State Defense Force were also on hand to provide se-curity and to promote the mission of the GSDF by actively recruiting new mem-bers. This event, which attracts historical reenactors and veterans from all over the country, is put on to educate the public about the service and sacrifi ce made by America’s “Greatest Generation” to ensure the world’s freedom from tyranny.

This year’s event consisted of numerous exhibitors all displaying memorabilia from the World War II era, a recreation of a period USO show, weapons demonstrations, historical recreations of life in camp, on the homefront, and on the front lines of World War II. In addition both days saw reenactments of battles between Allied and Axis forces both in Europe and in the Pacifi c Theatre. Numerous World War II veterans were also on hand talking about their service and personal experiences during World War II.

HEADS-UP | December 2010 7H E A D S - U PH E A D S - U P | | M a y 2 0 1 1M a y 2 0 1 1

TRAINING WITH THE GEORGIA NATIONAL GUARD 124th MPADCIsiiow

To1S

Awtii

WORLD WAR II REMEMBERED

CPL Eric Tedder, SSG Alan Baker and SGT Richard LeGrand

in the period correct uniforms of the U.S. Army and the Georgia State Guard, predecessor of the Georgia

State Defense Force. Story by CPL Eric Tedder. Photo by

CPLChris Alasa

CPL E i T dd SSG Al

Story by PV2 Allan Hayes. Photos by Sgt Jim ZegersPublic Aff airs Representative, HCC PAO

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Thanks to all the GSDF soldiers who helped out with the Lamar mission, there are too many to mention here. But you know who you are, what a team effort! HOOAH!!

A note of gratitude from a little girl on Grove St. given to CW2 Long

GSDF PUBLIC AFFAIRS HQGSDF PUBLIC AFFAIRS HQ

Submit articles & photos to Cpt Andy Creed at [email protected] or Sgt Jim Zegers at [email protected]. Articles are intended for publicizing unit missions, activities and events and to highlight GSDF members. Provide details: date, time, location and a brief description. Photos are encouraged. Photos with GSDF personnel should include the rank and full name of the person(s). Provide a point of contact and phone number or email address with any submissions.

HEADS UP is the official newsletter of The Georgia State Defense ForceHEADS UP is the offi cal newsletter of the

Georgia State Defense ForceRECRUITING NEWS

UPCOMING RECRUITING EVENT Military History Through the Ages at the Southern Museum in Kennesaw on Saturday, May 14th and

Sunday, May 15th

Members who would like information on schedulingand conducting recruiting activities should contact

CPT Bill Glisson at [email protected].

WE’VE GONE SOCIAL!!!If you are not already a friend on Facebook, please join us where news and events will appear fi rst. Click to join the GSDF Facebook Group, http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_54142402264. And now we’ve launched a channel on

You Tube too! We plan on using it for recruiting and training purposes. So if you can video your training, contact SGT Jim Zegers at [email protected]

Go to www.youtube.com/user/GSDF2011 and subscribe today.

SGT Goodelman's Health Tip of the Month

Being safe and healthy takes commitment, but it doesn’t have to be time-consuming, boring, or painful. A lot of things are so simple and take so little time, that you’ll wonder why you’ve been avoiding them. You can gain rewards just by taking small steps to prevent injury and illness. You won’t necessarily “see” the rewards, such as

the extra pounds you didn’t gain, the high blood pressure you didn’t get, the emergency room visit you leave behind. That’s a wonderful thing!

Find out what you can do in just fi ve minutes or less to make a difference to your safety and health, and take action! Some things even take less than a minute. Here is a sample of things you can do to help protect family and yourself: • Wash hands (20 seconds) • Buckle up (4 seconds) And remember “Click It or Ticket!” • Test smoke alarms (10 seconds per alarm) and change the battery when we change from Standard to Daylight savings time • Eat healthy (2 minutes to make a salad) • Take the stairs (2 minutes to walk two fl ights) • Make an appointment (2 minutes)

Also, fi nd out what things may take more than fi ve minutes, but are well worth the time, including being active and planting your own garden.Take a few minutes to help make yourself and your family healthier and safer.

HEADS-UP | December 2010 9H E A D S - U PH E A D S - U P | | M a y 2 0 1 1M a y 2 0 1 1

Bhtwrill

PFC Saltkill and PVT Burton of the 1st Medical Company/ Decon Platoon are practicing their skills on SGT Jim Zegers of the Public Aff airs HQ offi ce. The Medical Decon Platoon of the 1st Medical Company assignment is to turn victims into patients. When called upon to help in a disaster, the 1st Medical Company can integrate into a Civilian or Military mission to help victims in need.

Volunteers needed for Role Play-ing mission in July at Clay Nation-al Guard Center. Lunch, housing

and clothes will be provided. Contact CPT Bill Glisson at

[email protected]

Photo by Sgt Goodelman